About 4 months ago I got a very unusual but touching letter for a member asking me for help in surprising his mom on her birthday. I have to say I never had a request quite like this but once you read the letter you will understand how there was no way I could say no to this boy.
Dear Kathy,
I have known about you for some time now. I must say I admire your work! Not shocking, as I’m sure you have many loyal fans. What may shock you is that I’m a twenty-two year old…wait for it! Male. Yes, I am a 22 year old male writing to you about coupons! Now before you hit the delete button, please hear me out.
My problem? I think you have warped her mind so badly that she won’t even buy your book…only because it’s not free! I would like to change that. I know deep down inside she really wants it. We’re actually a family not too far from you. I recently moved down to NC…but have lived all my life in MA with her. She currently lives in MA with our dog and recently my sister who just came home from college. We currently talk about deals and she guides me through getting everything for free at Rite-Aid over the phone. It’s quite an amazing feeling to pay 8 cents for bags worth of items. The look on the cashiers faces is nothing short of satisfactory!
My parents divorced when I was around 8 years old. She has yet to re-marry and honestly, rarely ever goes out with friends or anything. Unfortunately, she has been spending the majority of her free time taking care of our sick grandmother who has Alzheimer’s. The rest of the time that she is not working…she is probably at a Rite-Aid or CVS or looking at your blog.
Now, she’s not crazy or nuts or anything. She is a perfectly functional and socially acceptable 50something year old woman. To be honest, I’m not sure why she doesn’t try to get out more often. She’s more than capable. I kind of always thought it was because she had myself and my sister at home. But with that not being the case anymore, I’m not sure what she does for “fun”.
I know it is a little ways away. But I am sure you’re very busy and value your time just as much as anyone else. I would love it if you would take the time to surprise my mother and maybe show up, go shopping, or just chit-chat? I’m not really sure. I suppose it would come down to what you feel would be most appropriate and comfortable doing. I will say this though, she is not a freakazoid fan or anything like that. She wouldn’t jump and scream at the sight of you like some teenage girl. She respects what you do and I’m sure would just be very honored to hold a conversation with you.
Again, I truly admire what you do and so does my mother. I figured this gift would be something special and interesting. I’ll leave you my contact information if you wish to speak to me.
Thank you in advance for your time!
Sincerely,
Colin
I surprised Ann tonight by showing up at her house and giving her a copy of my book for her Birthday as well as a stash of coupons. Ann’s son Colin took all of us out to dinner to celebrate his mom’s birthday. It was a great night!
Leave a Reply